Skip to main content

View Post [edit]

Poster: user unknown Date: Dec 28, 2022 9:38am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Ummm

"Bob Weir wasn't a rhythm guitar player"? What would you call him? Grateful Dead wasn't The Allman Brothers Band (Duane and Dickie), nor Lynyrd Skynyrd (Rossington and Collins). Bob was definitely a rhythm guitarist in the early days.

Reply [edit]

Poster: billydlions Date: Dec 28, 2022 11:44am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Ummm

He was phenomenal in 1972, especially the shows in the fall. He's Gone is a great example where his playing was excellent (9-27 or 9-28 from memory). Unfortunately it was downhill from there.

Where's Jerlouvis when you need him?

Reply [edit]

Poster: user unknown Date: Dec 28, 2022 4:35pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Ummm

"He was phenomenal in 1972". I think I could've been "phenomenal" given the opportunity to spend 7 years under the tutelage of the one and only Mr. Jerry "Captain Trips" Garcia. My comment wasn't meant to be derogatory' simply the truth. In the beginning, Bob was the rhythm guitarist. He grew into the role of second lead.

Reply [edit]

Poster: RBNW....new and improved! Date: Dec 28, 2022 3:00pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Ummm

the other one !

Reply [edit]

Poster: Lou Davenport Date: Dec 28, 2022 5:47pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Ummm

I meant that the article intro and the blurbs justifying each guitarist's inclusion in the list suggest that the magazine was laying special emphasis on the rhythm side of what "rhythm guitar" players do.

There's nothing wrong with Bob's rhythm, but it's not primarily what he does. And like Phil, his chords are almost as likely to be syncopated as on the main beats. So the drums end up being almost the sole driver of the rhythm.

Bob's gift IMO has been his utterly idiosyncratic and sometimes brilliant weird chords. Few if any other rhythm guitar players would ever have produced such chords.They enriched the harmonies in the group playing, added to the jazzy feel, and I bet inspired Jerry to go off in directions that more obvious chord progressions wouldn't have taken him.

But I suspect none of that was any part of the magazine's search strategy in rating "rhythm guitar" players.

Reply [edit]

Poster: wlg3 Date: Dec 29, 2022 7:49am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: Ummm

He studied and emulated jazz pianists for that unique guitar style. I've also read that Bob's fingers are freakishly long, and he can make chord shapes that others can't.